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Pay-For-Performance program to improve quality of patient care

The ATS has released an official policy statement of pay-for-performance (P4P) in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. In the statement, the Society encourages clinicians in these fields to participate in P4P programs and views them as an opportunity to partner with healthcare payors, accrediting organizations, governmental oversight groups and others to improve quality, rather than as a threat to autonomy and independence.

25 Mar 2010

Researchers devise simple water test to check for herbicide clomazone

University of California, Davis, scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways -- including drinking-water sources and a globally valuable nature reserve.

23 Mar 2010

FDA approves APP Pharmaceuticals' Indomethacin for Injection

APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding, Inc., announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Indomethacin for Injection. Indomethacin is therapeutically equivalent to the reference-listed drug INDOCIN® I.V., by Lundbeck, Inc.

23 Mar 2010

Gentofte University Hospital deploys iMDsoft's MetaVision in its newly-built ICU

iMDsoft®, a global leader in hospital-wide clinical information systems, has been selected by Gentofte University Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark, to deploy MetaVision® in its newly-built, state-of-the-art, ICU.

22 Mar 2010

Post Acute Medical purchases Northshore Specialty Hospital

Post Acute Medical today announced the purchase of Northshore Specialty Hospital, a 58-bed, Long Term Acute Care Hospital.

22 Mar 2010

CDIs are becoming significant issue in healthcare institutions: Study

Clostridium difficile infections are quickly becoming a significant issue in healthcare based upon recent studies. Preliminary data collected from nursing homes and highlighted in a Supplementary Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory shows that almost 40 percent of gastrointestinal infections reported are CDIs.

19 Mar 2010

Stress during pregnancy may raise infant’s risk to asthma and allergy

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

18 Mar 2010

Studies link atmospheric CO pollution to adverse cardiovascular outcomes, cardiac mortality

In the healthy rat, prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) under conditions that mimic urban pollution leads to changes to cardiac morphology and function. Compensatory mechanisms develop in these animals to sustain normal cardiac activity, but they become more vulnerable to heart disease.

18 Mar 2010

Blocking GM-CSF could reduce inflammation and deleterious effects of cigarette smoke exposure

Researchers in Australia have demonstrated that blocking a certain protein can reduce or prevent cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation in mice. Inflammation underlies the disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many other smoking-related ailments.

18 Mar 2010

Booster shot appears to improve TB resistance in previously vaccinated adults

A booster shot appears to improve tuberculosis (TB) resistance in previously vaccinated adults, according to new research in South Africa.

17 Mar 2010

GE Healthcare introduces OSA diagnostic tool for inpatient cardiac patients

GE Healthcare today introduced MARS® Virtual Sleep Lab (VSL), the first device to provide a streamlined view of quantitative cardiac and sleep apnea analysis from any GE-monitored inpatient bed, helping enhance speed of diagnosis.

16 Mar 2010

New guidelines to emphasize safety of dental treatment during pregnancy

Spotlighting the importance of oral health care for expectant mothers, the California Dental Association Foundation has released new guidelines designed to emphasize the safety of dental treatment during pregnancy and ensure women the services they need.

16 Mar 2010

Cheetah Medical closes $20M financing round; plans to expand hemodynamic monitoring market

Cheetah Medical, a worldwide leader in noninvasive hemodynamic and cardiac output monitoring technology, announced today the closing of a $20 million financing round. The financing was led by Ascension Health Ventures (AHV) and also included Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), MVM Life Science Partners (MVM) and existing investors.

16 Mar 2010

ATS releases new clinical policy statement on CCHS

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder of respiratory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. The ANS regulates reflexive acts, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, body temperature and pain perception.

15 Mar 2010

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM).

12 Mar 2010

New anti-tumour vaccine for mesothelioma shows promising results

A vaccine against mesothelioma, a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, has shown early promise in its first clinical trial.

5 Mar 2010

LEO Pharma gains access to Intomics’ biological data analysis expertises

Today, Intomics A/S and LEO Pharma A/S announced a collaboration under which LEO Pharma gains access to Intomics’ unique biological data analysis expertises. The recently founded spin-off company from The Danish Technical University, Intomics, has methods and tools for use in LEO Pharma’s early drug discovery.

5 Mar 2010

UC researchers find CT scan screening of non-smoking women is cost-effective

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that it is cost-effective to do CT scan screening of non-smoking women, ages 25-54, who come to the emergency room for the first time with a collapsed lung in order to diagnose and treat those with lymphangioleiomyomatosis, or LAM.

5 Mar 2010

Using high-resolution CT-scans to screen for LAM is cost-effective in non-smoking women

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that using high-resolution CT-scans to screen for lymphangioleiomyomatosis, or LAM, is cost-effective in non-smoking women between 25 and 54 who come to the emergency room for the first time with a collapsed lung.

4 Mar 2010

University of Michigan's cardiac surgeon receives Nina Starr Braunwald award

The research foundation of the nation's largest group of thoracic surgeons has awarded University of Michigan's Jennifer C. Hirsch, M.D., M.S., with the Nina Starr Braunwald award, a top award for women in cardiac surgery.

4 Mar 2010